Chance Encounters
by StikLover2
Summary: Who are those crazy people? That's what most mortals would think when they witness the Seven and friends in action. Watch and observe, as their lives flip upside down. Ranging from disbelief and paranoia, observe the lives of ordinary mortals when they meet our favorite heroes! Not everything is what it seems, as something big looms on the horizon... (Gods included!)
1. I: Kristen

***Important: Read note below***

**Hey guys! Here's a little mini-series I will be working on, alongside of my Unity Series! Be aware, this series is in the same universe AS MY UNITY SERIES! This is why some scenarios, such as Calypso's below, is happening as it is now. **

**None of you have to read my Unity Series to understand this series, but you may want to, since some chapters will cross with events concerning the Unity Series. I will mention which chapter it's from, however, so you can just skip to it. **

**I will say it again: this series and the Unity Series are in the same universe, and concern the same events! It's basically the mortals' point of view of what is happening these days. Now, some scenes take place before or after the Unity Series starts. Some will take place during the Unity Series, however.**

**Disclaimer: Percy Jackson and the Heroes of Olympus belongs to Uncle Rick, also know as "King Supreme Troller"**

**So, without further ado...**

* * *

**I: Kristen**

Before a crazy Latino elf ran by her, Kristen was having a good day.

There she was, enjoying her vacation time in Albania, when a Hispanic-looking guy ran down the street, while dragging a tan-skinned girl with caramel hair behind him.

Before all that crazy stuff happened, Kristen thought that her vacation would go normally. After two years in college back in America, she decided to treat herself to a little European vacation. Her mother had suggested Albania, so Kristen thought: _why not?_

Sometimes, Kristen thought she was really seeing things. After going to five doctors, and all of them saying that nothing was wrong, the weird creatures were still appearing to her. Whether it was back home in Kentucky, or out here in Tennessee, Kristen was seeing strange creatures prowl the streets.

At least here, in this cute coffee shop, she was safe from harm. Sipping on a cappuccino, which Albanian shops offered for some weird reason, Kristen didn't expect what happened next.

All of a sudden, this Latino elf who looked like he was on steroids burst down the local street, with a herd of black hounds chasing him. A tan-skinned girl who smelled of cinnamon held his hand, dragging him to a nearby alley.

"LEO! I told you not to kick the backside of one of those hellhounds!"

"I-I thought they weren't even listening!" wheezed the Latino, running as fast as his legs could carry him.

Kristen bolted from her wicker chair, and gazed at the panicked couple. The guy, whose name was Leo, was holding some sort of car-key alarm.

The great black beasts who were chasing the couple terrified Kristen. What did the tanned girl call them? Hellhounds? Either way, they frighted Kristen so thoroughly, that she dropped her coffee cup, spilling it all over the cobblestone-laid patio.

One of the waiters started yelling at Kristen in the local language, and she felt herself blush. Kristen wasn't one for subtlety, and she felt that she was a little too clumsy sometimes.

The shouts of the Latino jarred Kristen out of her stuttered apology. With widened eyes, she observed Leo pull out a hammer from a... toolbelt? The girl next to Leo unstrapped a golden knife from her right thigh, and charged the beasts.

Kristen wondered if the girl was mentally insane. Well, scratch that. The Latino looked to be mentally insane too, as the duo charged into battle, intercepting the bloodthirsty hellhounds.

"Leo, I am NOT kissing you for a week! Who's stupid enough to provoke a whole herd of hellhounds!" screamed the girl, flipping around in the air, and stabbing one of the monsters in the left eye.

"B-but, Calypso! I really thought they were friendly! What kind of hellhounds graze on grass?!" Leo stuttered, smashing in the head of another hellhound with his hammer.

It was all that Kristen could do to look on in horror. Around her, several people were chattering excitedly in the street, pointing at Leo and Calypso's fight. Some of them even pulled out their phones, and began filming.

"I didn't know there was a matador showing today!" exclaimed a nearby woman, whose voice was obviously American.

Kristen mentally facepalmed herself, and continued looking on at the spectacle. There was no way on this green earth that she was going to put herself in front of meat-eating dog creatures!

Even as this melee occurred, it was too much for Kristen to handle. Her religious stance of atheism dictated that something like this couldn't happen, but yet, it was happening right in front of her very eyes.

With a grunt, Calypso sidestepped another hellhound, and stabbed it in the gut. The monster let out a cry, before dissolving into golden dust. As the shrieks reached Kristen's ears, she was sure that her medication was failing. It was time to resort to the last method possible: a _psychiatrist_.

Kristen was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the crazy girl tug her by the arm, and drag her out into the street.

"Hey, hey. What are you doing!? Don't kill me!" begged Kristen, struggling against the death grip of Calypso.

"What? No! I noticed you from the distance. It's obvious that you can see through the Mist... Now, help me kill those hellhounds!" Calypso ordered, tossing Kristen a small knife from her pocket.

"The heck?! Are you crazy or something?! I can't fight! And what the heck is the Mist?!" Kristen stammered, trying to make sense of the situation.

Unfortunately, an incoming hellhound bounded toward Kristen, with its fangs snarling. Kristen screamed, and thrusted the knife in front of her.

The next sound that was heard was the whimper of a canine, as the hellhound melted into darkness.

"Nice job! I haven't seen many mortals with that kind of aim!" smiled Calypso, standing back-to-back with Leo, against the six hellhounds that were left.

"B-but? What did I do?" Kristen questioned, dropping the knife.

"Uh, gimme a second. Leo, Plan E?"

"Whenever you're ready, Sunshine!"

With a grunt, Calypso planted her feet on Leo's back, and the Latino jerked it up, launching Calypso into the air. The crazy girl did a spin, throwing her knife right into the eye of a prowling hellhound. At the same time, Leo swung his hammer into an arc, crushing the jaws of two hellhounds who dared to get close enough.

Kristen watched in amazement as the duo worked in perfect synchronization. Calypso landed back down, removing her knife from the shadowy goo that was once a hellhound, and swung it toward another black beast who dared to attempt an ambush.

"Now, as I was saying... PICK UP YOUR KNIFE!" bellowed Calypso. "I GOT IT FORGED FOR SPECIAL REASONS, AND YOU AIN'T LOSING IT!"

"Okay, okay... Geez!" Kristen moaned, picking up her dropped knife. At first glance, it was shining golden, and the hilt was embroidered with some sort of weird language.

"Thank you! Now, as I was saying, your skills aren't shabby, though it could do with-"

One of the remaining two hellhounds decided to pounce, and Calypso simply stepped to the side, and rammed her knife through the gut of the beast, spilling out its intestines. The hellhound melted into darkness, as Leo slammed the other one with his hammer.

Kristen stared at the shrugging duo, with her mouth wide open. Who the heck were those people?! And why the heck did the girl drag her into a fight with monsters that shouldn't even exist in the first place?!

"There, that should do it!" Calypso exclaimed, wiping her hands on her jeans.

"I think you guys owe me an explanation... NOW..." growled Kristen, who was feeling shaken up.

"Whoa, now. It looks like this lady need a bit of room to breathe, doesn't she, Cal?" Leo said, venturing forward, with golden dust sprinkled on his head.

At first glance, Kristen thought that Leo resembled someone who had one shot of caffeine too many. He was jittering up and down, and his hands were constantly moving, like a swimmer running away from a shark.

"Um... Right. I know you're kind of confused right now, so why don't we sit down, and talk about this?" motioned Calypso, raising her hands. "But first, uhm, I need to do something..."

With that, Kristen gazed as the girl walked up to the crowd that was observing them. Calypso appeared to be snapping her fingers, and the eyes of the crowd were glazing over. Kristen had no idea how Calypso was doing it, but the multitude of people walked away, as if nothing had ever happened. But... sorcery and witchcraft didn't exist! That was impossible!

"Now... I think we need to sit down and have a nice, long, chat..." said Calypso, turning her eyes to face Kristen.

**~~~~~0~0~~~~~**

Thirty minutes later, Kristen was sitting in the middle of a different cafe down the road, with Leo and Calypso on the opposite side of her table.

"So... any questions you want to ask?" Calypso inquired, drinking an espresso.

"I-I just need a moment," Kristen sighed, massaging her temple.

In reality, Kristen had no idea how this crazy scenario came by her. One day, she was just enjoying her newfound vacation, when... BAM, her life gets turned upside-down by two crazy teenagers.

"Okay.. So, first, what happened back there?" asked Kristen, taking a deep breath.

"Oh, yeah. We were being chased by a couple of hellhounds that my boyfriend just so happened to... uhm... PROVOKE!" bellowed Calypso, shooting a glare to Leo.

"Hey! I really didn't know!" protested the Latino, raising his hands. Leo then attempted to take a sip of Calypso's espresso.

"Nuh uh! You know what caffeine does to you, Leo! The next thing you know, you'll be jumping off the walls of our hotel room!" Calypso protested, snatching the cup away.

Kristen looked on the scene with amazement. She didn't have anything against two teens sharing a hotel room, but wasn't that more on the unorthodox side? And what kind of guy was Leo if a cup of coffee could make him bounce off of walls like crazy?

"Uh, can you continue?" inquired Kristen, interrupting the bickering couple.

"Oh, sorry! Anyway, I think that I should tell you the whole story. Even as Leo and I fought in the street, I noticed something off about you. You could see through the Mist, obviously. No one else can have a look on their face the way you did..."

"What's wrong with my face?" Kristen asked, feeling her cheeks blush in embarrassment.

"Nothing! You could say that I have the uncanny ability to see... things..." Calypso slowly said.

"Things? That's impossible, you know? It's not like you're some kind of goddess or something..." Kristen nervously chuckled.

Both Leo and Calypso shared a look.

"You sure you wanna tell her, Cal?" questioned the Latino.

"Why not? We don't have anything to lose, anyway..." muttered the girl, taking her knife.

"W-what are you doing with that knife?" stammered Kristen, slowly edging away.

In response, Calypso made a small incision in her right arm, letting a small drop of blood spill.

"Whoa! What did you do to yourself?!" Kristen said angrily, leaning forward.

What Kristen saw next shocked her. The blood wasn't red... at _all._ Instead, it was glowing a shade of gold. Pure yellow light shone in Kristen's eyes, as she tried to comprehend the spectacle of what she was seeing.

"Pretty cool, eh?" smiled Leo, rubbing his hands together.

Kristen couldn't say anything else, as she blacked out.

**~~~~~0~0~~~~~**

Running into the face of a bronze dragon made Kristen scream.

"GWAHH! What is that?!" she exclaimed, scooting across a stone floor.

At first glance, Kristen noticed that she was in a plaza of some sorts. Stone walkways extended in every direction, from a fountain in the center of the plaza. Gilded statues adorned the corner, and the plaza couldn't have been more than five-hundred feet in either direction.

Not to mention, the bronze dragon was edging toward her, while breathing tendrils of fire from its nose.

"S-stay away!" Kristen stammered, picking up a nearby brick.

"Whoa! No need to threaten my buddy here!" chirped a new voice, which Kristen recognized as Leo.

The Latino appeared out of nowhere, rushing to the side of the bronze dragon.

"At last.. I was wondering when you were actually going to wake up..." sighed Calypso, as the girl popped up from behind the dragon, and slowly walked to where Kristen was.

"W-what is that thing? And what _are_ you?!" Kristen said angrily, raising her hands to defend herself.

"Hey, take it easy. That whole thing about goddesses and stuff? Well, I _am_ actually one. Well, actually, I'm a Titan... But still..." admitted Calypso, stroking the nose of the bronze dragon.

"B-but.. Wha? Gods don't exist!" protested Kristen, rising to her feet.

To Kristen, this was an absolute impossibility. There was no proof in this world that a god existed! Much less those gods and Titans that Calypso was talking about...

"Now, I know this is a lot to take in... But I assure you, I'm telling you this for a good reason..." coaxed Calypso, motioning for the bronze dragon to sit down.

"Don't lie to me! That's impossible!" growled Kristen, backing away from the girl.

"Then why was my blood gold?"

Kristen was speechless. So that was real!?

"How is this even possible, then? So you're telling me that gods wander the earth, randomly walking around like lunatics?!"

The sky rumbled, making Kristen jump in surprise.

"Well, the Greek and Roman gods, to be exact. And if you want to live, I suggest you don't tick off our all-powerful mighty overlords!" exclaimed Leo, who was previously silent during the whole exchange.

The sky stopped rumbling, and a beam of light shone onto Leo, as if he was the savior of the human race.

"YES! And thanks to you too!" boomed the Latino, gesturing to the sky.

"Leo... king of butt-kissing to the gods.." muttered Calypso, resting her hands onto her face.

"T-this can't be right... Too... much..." Kristen groaned, trying to make sense of the whole exchange.

Kristen now felt that her entire life was a lie. Was her entire belief of atheism unfounded? No... this couldn't be right at all.

"You know, it was a pleasure meeting you... And I know that this is kind of sudden, but Leo and I need to... um... go..." Calypso said, climbing up to the back of the bronze dragon.

"Wait! B-but what I am supposed to do now?! You can't just leave me here! There's too many questions I need to ask!" Kristen stuttered, wringing her hands.

"I'm sorry, but duty calls! Leo and I have places to explore, places to see! This city was just a stop of ours, you know? I think we'll be heading to America sometime soon... You could say that our bosses are requesting an audience with us..."

"Bosses? You can't just leave me in the dark!"

"Oh, right! Leo, could you give this nice girl here that pamphlet we made for mortal orientation to our world?" Calypso ordered.

"Right!" said the Latino, as he rummaged around some sort of compartment inside of the bronze dragon. He hollered a whoop of victory as a purple and green pamphlet appeared in his hand, and he sauntered over to Kristen, handing her the contents.

"What is this?" questioned Kristen, flipping through the contents.

At first glance, the pamphlet seemed to contain information about Greek and Roman gods. There were mentions of some sort of sun god named Apollo... And this picture of a weird guy in a Hawaiian shirt and Bermuda shorts. The caption above that picture was titled "Poseidon/Neptune..." Also, there was a whole section dedicated to phone numbers. One of the numbers included this information hotline, and an "Olympus" direct line.

"I suggest you call the Jupiter Processing Center if you want your questions answered..." suggested Calypso, motioning for Leo to mount the dragon. The Latino obliged, patting the dragon's bronze plating as he clambered up behind his girlfriend.

"Will I ever see you again?" questioned Kristen, closing the pamphlet.

"Oh, I don't know... We were just coming by, and it looked like you needed a little excitement in your life! Why did you think I dragged you in that hellhound fight?" stated Calypso, raising her eyebrows.

"Um, okay?" Kristen said, slowly backing away from the dragon, while it seemed to be flapping its wings.

"SEEYA! BE COOL AND STUFF! EAT MORE ENCHILADAS!" screamed Leo, as the bronze dragon lifted into the sky.

"Leo! What did I tell you about shouting out random things to mortals?!" scolded Calypso, motioning for the dragon to blast off.

As the golden dragon zoomed into the sky, Kristen had to muse on how weird her day had gotten. So... the gods were real? This was going to take some time to digest. Opening the pamphlet again, Kristen had to think: _there's this hippie guy named Zeus?_

The sky thundered, making Kristen smile. So, this was more solid proof of what had happened today...

From this day forth, Kristen knew that her life had been changed forever.

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**Well? I hope that you guys enjoyed! I'll be posting 'sometimes..' Whenever I'm not working on, or need a short break from my Unity Series, I'll be working on this!**


	2. II: Hermes & Poker

**Hey guys! Here's another episode of mortals for you! This should be particulary interesting... And I enjoyed writing this one.**

**Reviews:**

**lovedystopia: Yup! I thought this would be interesting. This is a great thing for me to do whenever I need a little chill time from the Unity Series. I think you'll like this one...**

**So, without further ado...**

* * *

**II: Hermes &amp; Poker**

**Before losing five-thousand dollars, Jake's hand was going terribly.**

To the right of him, Ash, a burly Hispanic guy, threw his set of cards down in frustration.

"I fold.." he muttered.

Jake felt like he was totally screwed now. There he was, just playing a regular old game of poker in Belinda's Grillhouse, when this really weird-looking dude decided to crash the game.

Said weird dude was sitting on the opposite side of the table, with a devious look on his face. If Jake wasn't a magician, he would have mistaken the dude's impish grin as a troublemaker who robbed and looted at every turn.

"Well... gentlemen..." began the elfish dude, which had to make Jake nervous.

"Well, what? Are you throwing it down or not?" said Ash, slamming one of his fists on the table.

"Uhm... I'm sorry to say this... But... here's a straight flush for you!" exclaimed the elf dude, laying down his card hand on the poker table.

"WHAT?! THAT'S A LOAD OF-" began Ash, jumping up from his chair.

The mood around the grillhouse grew dark as several diners looked on at Ash with disgusted looks on their faces. At that moment, Jake knew that it was a bad idea to invite Ash to Belinda's poker night. And he had no idea why the grillhouse would even do a poker night in the middle of dinner service. Oh well. At least the event was in a dark corner in one of the grillhouse's empty seating sections.

"Sorry gentlemen... That's the way this game works... And you got PLAYED!" boasted the elf dude, standing up and pumping his fists in the air.

Several diners glared at the elf guy, and the dude chuckled nervously.

With that, the six other people involved in the match all jumped up from their seats, and began shouting angrily at the elf dude. Sometimes, Jake wondered if he was the only civil poker player around in the city.

Speaking of the elf dude, Jake had to admit that his sudden appearance in the match was unnerving. There he was, about to begin the game with Ash and the others, when a smug-looking guy burst through the front door of the grillhouse. The waitresses had protested, but the guy just waved them off with a snap of his fingers. Weirdly enough, it looked like the serving ladies' eyes were glazed over, but Jake shrugged that off. The important thing- the dude had money, and loads of it.

After all that hubbub, the dude sat himself at the poker table, and insisted that everyone needed to call him Hermes. Jake wasn't a historian, but he could have sworn that name came from Greek myths. And what kind of person would name their kid Hermes?

The guy looked to be in his mid-twenties, and for some odd reason, he was wearing a tracksuit. Most of all, Hermes threw down seven-thousand dollars as his opening bet, which made Jake's eyes bulge. The other players nearly fainted at that sum offering, and eagerly dived into the game. Sadly, it was a mistake, since the elf dude just wiped the entire board clean.

Jake felt rage boil inside him as he realized that he lost five-thousand dollars.

"PLAYED? WHATYA MEAN, PLAYED?! YOU CHEATED!" roared one of the other poker players, jarring Jake out of his thoughts.

"Hey, hey, my friends... I guess you need to learn the art of poker better. You're all kind of newbs at it and stuff..." shrugged the elf dude, who was Hermes.

"WHAT?! I hit the number three spot in the last club championship! You're one to lecture!" screamed another poker player, who looked distinctively Asian to Jake.

Hermes filed his nails, looking bored. "Then why did you lose three-thousand dollars in your hand? Lest I guess, I'm pretty sure that I was the one who won the entire twenty-thousand dollar jackpot of cash just now..."

"Well, duh! 'Cause your bluff stunk!" growled Maximilian, another poker player nearby Hermes.

"Hey! All of you, keep it down!" roared a voice from the other side of the grillhouse, which Jake had to guess came from the manager.

"Then get them under control! Why did you even let this happen in the first place?" inquired one of the diners, rising up from his seat.

The mood in the grillhouse immediately grew even darker. For such a cheerful place, Jake didn't know that so much hostility could go on in those four walls. From the outside, the restaurant was painted a pale-white, and was tiled with brown shingling. The inside was cozier, with salvaged oak converted into tables and chairs. A warm fireplace crackled in the hearth nearby, which didn't seem to improve the mood.

"This is a high-stakes game! You know this match gives us half our weekly profit! So Jim, I suggest you sit right back down!" shot back the manager.

"IS THIS HOW YOU TREAT YOUR GUESTS?!" interrupted a female diner, also rising up from her chair.

"Okay, okay... Geez, guys. I can sense an extreme amount of hostility radiating from y'all... So how about we split up everything, and have a happy night?" nervously chuckled Hermes, raising his voice so everyone in the grillhouse could hear.

"That's not the point of the principle! I KNOW you cheated!" screamed Ash, stomping another fist onto the green poker table. "Jake, back me up here!"

"Uh, well... I can't really say for sure. He does know how to bluff, that's for sure..." muttered Jake, feeling unnerved by the sudden attention he was receiving from the entire restaurant.

"Thank you my friend... So how about we forget all this, and I take my winnings... And we all go home happy, letting those wonderful diners eat in peace?" Hermes suggested.

"You're not going ANYWHERE! Not until this gets sorted!" growled the same Asian dude from earlier, rubbing both of his hands together.

"Listen man," began Hermes. "This is going to look bad for you in the long run... So I suggest we all leave now... And grab a pint of beer while we're at it."

"HAHAH!" That's funny! You actually think that you can trump us... Dude... It's six against one..." chuckled the Asian dude, trodding uncomfortably close to Hermes.

Jake could practically feel himself sweatdropping as the atmosphere grew tense. Half of the diners were getting out of their seats, and muttering words of dissent. The other half looked disgusted, and resumed eating their meals.

"Just accept that I won..." sighed Hermes, crossing his arms. "I'm kind of busy and stuff... And I gotta leave now. Deliveries to make!"

"You won't leave anytime soon... Boys, search him!" growled the Asian dude, motioning for the other poker players to surround Hermes.

"Ash... Dude..." whispered Jake. "This is kind of getting a little bit overkill. Shouldn't we scram while we can, with our dignity intact?"

"No way, bud. My wife's gonna chew me out if she finds out that I've lost all that money..." Ash murmured. "Besides, I'm curious as how this is going to turn out. I'm pretty ticked too, if you catch my drift."

As the other players surrounded Hermes, Jake felt a horrible feeling in the gut of his stomach. The elf guy's face looked like it was planning something sinister, which couldn't have been far from the case.

"Gentlemen! You tone that down right now!" bellowed the manager, sauntering over to the tension-filled poker table.

At first glance, the manager didn't impress Jake all that much. He was kind of short, and a pudgy build composed most of his height. At least Jake could tell he was the manager- the golden nametag visible from the other end of the room evidenced that much.

"You're telling me to calm down over twenty-thousand dollars?" hissed the Asian dude. "I can prove to you he's cheating... No one can deal that kind of hand under my watch!"

"Geez.. Calm down man. I practically _invented_ poker!" moaned Hermes, spreading apart his hands.

"Don't be an idiot! No one alive today invented poker! It's hundreds of years old!"

"On the contrary... Maybe I'm a little older than that..." muttered Hermes, under his breath.

Jake nearly did a double take at that. Either he was hallucinating, or the dude was seriously under a form of painkiller medication. Or heavily intoxicated... or... well... whatever.

"ANYHOO, gentlemen!" butted in the pudgy-faced manager. "If you can't keep this under control and refrain from interrupting my diners, I suggest that you leave now!"

Whatever happened tonight, Jake knew that it was going to be one of his weirder times. A restaurant full of diners wouldn't get all hostile for a reason like poker... Right? The still-murderous looks on the faces of the diners were present as the manager rattled off a lecture toward the Asian dude.

Jake didn't catch everything that was said, but next to him, Ash chuckled evilly.

"Alright boys... We'll settle this outside. Let's go. Game's over!" hissed the Asian dude, picking up a surprised Hermes by the scruff of his neck.

"Hey! That's a vintage shirt, you know?" protested Hermes, with beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

The Asian guy began dragging Hermes out of the grillhouse, while the so called cheater struggled under the iron-fisted grip. Jake was curious on how this was going to go down, so he began following the commotion outside.

As Jake followed the Asian guy out of the restaurant with the other poker players, he could feel the uneasy gaze of the diners burn holes in the back of his head.

**~~~~~0~0~~~~~**

The fresh evening air rippled through Jake's brown hair as he stepped outside of the grillhouse, into the parking lot.

Hermes elicited a cry of protest as the Asian dude threw him onto the cold, concrete floor of the parking lot. Instinctively, Ash and the other poker players surrounded Hermes- each of them looking like they wanted blood.

Admittedly enough, Jake felt like dishing out a little revenge to Hermes. He tried working hard, and gathered as much money as he could for this high-stakes poker game. Jake thought he had it in the bag, since he was secretly allied to Ash... but, BAM! All that money swept away by some random stranger who walked around like he owned the place.

"Alright, 'lil bucko. Tell us how you dealt that hand..." growled the Asian dude, making a threatening move towards Hermes.

"Uhm... Like... THIS?" exclaimed Hermes, struggling up from the ground and pulling something out of the Asian guy's ear.

Jake could feel his jaw drop as Hermes pulled out a one-hundred dollar bill from the ear, and waved it around in the air.

"Creepy voodoo magic, dude..." murmured an unidentified poker player.

"What the..." began the Asian dude, looking unnerved by Hermes' bold advance.

Jake didn't know the Asian dude very well, but he wanted to stay out of his way. The guy had showed up at a couple of previous poker matches, sweeping the stakes clean. At first glance, the Asian dude seemed to be about six feet tall, and had a lean and hungry look. From his eyes, Jake could tell that the Asian dude had seen many horrible things.

"Brave words... Ronnie..." whispered Hermes, all mysterious-like.

"How the heck do you know my name?" questioned the Asian dude, who was now Ronnie.

"I see all... I'm sort of like a mysterious oracle or something. My brother Apollo says I could be one. Of course, I don't feel like becoming a mummy for all eternity. Not a big fan of green smoke pouring out of my mouth either..." mused Hermes.

"Stalker!" roared Ronnie, as he threw a fist to punch Hermes in the face.

What happened next made Jake and all the other poker players- Ash included, drop their jaws. Hermes' own hands moved at a blindingly fast speed, and stopped Ronnie's right fist in its place.

"H-how did you...?" stammered the Asian.

"Like THIS!" Hermes boasted, sweeping his legs to knock Ronnie off his feet, making him crash into the ground.

"Hey, hey! That's my brother you're abusing!" roared a nearby poker player.

Huh, so Ronnie had a brother? That would explain a lot, since said brother was rushing at Hermes with a crazy look on his face.

Suddenly, all the other poker players, including Ash, yelled a guttural battle-cry, and charged the devious winner of the poker match.

Jake felt inner rage consume him as he was compelled to charge Hermes. With a cry, he ran toward Ash's struggling body, and leaped over it into the fray.

**~~~~~0~0~~~~~**

Being handcuffed and dragged into the backseat of a cop car was NOT how Jake planned to spend the rest of his evening.

Groaning, Jake struggled and twisted in the leather interior of the cop car, but it was no use. The binds were too great. With fury, he realized just what happened in that parking lot fight just earlier. Hermes was like a crazy tornado of ninja-fu skills, beating up every single poker player- Jake included, who dared to even get close to him. With a wince, Jake felt his right eye throb in pain right where Hermes socked him.

After that fiasco, Hermes left Jake and the other poker players lying in a heap. After that, the crazy winner of the poker match proceeded to call the cops, which is why Jake was currently in the backseat of a cop car.

Sirens wailed in the distance, as a half dozen cop cars surrounded the immediate area where Jake remembered getting beaten up. Outside, police officers were questioning the poker players who had regained consciousness, and Ash was one of them.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jake could see a figure drifting in one of the grillhouse's patios. With horror, he realized that it was Hermes, the little he-devil who gave him the beating of a lifetime.

Jake felt even more rage consume him as Hermes pulled on the infamous... _troll face_ at him. With a chuckle, the weirdo took a running start from the corner of the grillhouse, and vanished into the night. Jake's face elicited a cry of surprise. Since when did people start vanishing in thin air?!

Sinking back into the backseat, Jake inwardly sighed. Either he was drinking too much, or Hermes was a magician too.

But Jake's more pressing concern was how he was going to explain all this to his wife... Yup, her wrath was going to be just great! Jail, five-thousand dollars, and a fine! Hooray!

* * *

**This story has a moral. Don't try beating Hermes at poker, or engaging him in a fist-fight... Either way will end badly for you. **


	3. III: Maximilian & the Big Three

**Hey, hey, hey! Here's another update for this little mini-series! I had to do something related to Mother's Day, even though there's not too much of it in this chapter. Still, enjoy!**

**Reviews:**

**Finwitch1: Well, I guess we don't quite know... You may want to keep your eyes peeled out for some TV news in the future... Anyway, I did have a brief idea about Percy and Poseidon, but I won't make it cliche. I pride myself on meetings that aren't the same old boring cliches, as you've seen. I actually take some thought and time into those meetings, and how they tie into my PJO/HOO universe. Anyway, enjoy! **

**Pachelp: Here's another continuation! Enjoy!**

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**III: Maximilian &amp; The Big Three (Mother's Day Special)**

**Even as a customer spilled a _pina colada_ over him, Max was already having a rotten day.**

As he apologized profusely to the customer, Max was cursing every single known deity he could think of. Just great. Maybe working in this Puerto Rican-themed cafe in the middle of New York wasn't exactly the best idea.

"Be a little less clumsy next time, would you?" sneered the lady that Max accidentally spilled the drink over.

"S-sorry, m'am. Would you like me to get you a fresh drink?" Max questioned, trying not to get on the lady's bad side. The last thing he needed was another lecture from his boss on how the customers weren't being "taken care" of.

"Fine, but make it quick! I have an important meeting in a hour!" huffed the lady.

Max silently nodded, then proceeded to navigate his way to the bar-slash-pseudo-fancy-drink-making-area.

Well, besides taking a brief bathroom break for a change of uniform, Max hurried over to get the new drink.

**~~~~~0~0~~~~~**

"Hey, Maxy-boy!" hollered the lingering form of Ricardio, as Max made his way to the bartop.

"Hey, Ric. Could you do me a favor and whip up another pina colada? I'm kind of short on time, and Larson WILL hammer down on me if we lose another customer..." Max sighed, running a hand through his brown curls. He leaned on a oaken pillar that supported the bar area.

"Sure, it's not a 'prob!" Ricardio hollered back, flipping up a curved glass cup from the pantry bin under the counter, and proceeded to get right to work on making another pina colada.

As Ricardio busied himself with the drink, Max took a quick glance around the restaurant. It was currently the late-night dinner rush, and several waiters were mingling with the patrons. The wafting smell of Puerto Rican food drifted through Max's nostrils, making his stomach growl in hunger. The eatery's light-brown walls glimmered in the low candlelight, and cast an illuminating glow that radiated all the way outside.

As Max scanned the various tables of patrons, one particular group caught his eye. The members of said group seemed to be engaged in intense discussion, which made Max curious.

"-Crazy people... -Stupid p-omis-es. -w-ats-wn-hildren..." muttered the voices of the group, drifting through Max's ears.

At that moment, Max knew that he couldn't help himself. Listening on people's conversations were a favorite pastime of his, albeit he was ashamed to admit it.

Scooting away from a muttering Ricardio, Max edged closer to the table, getting close enough to listen to their conversation. What he heard next disturbed him a little bit.

"Sometimes, I wish that Hera would have told me about the whole mortal mess..." sighed a guy dressed in a pinstripe suit.

At first glance, the small group of people bothered Max. There were three guys talking in hushed tones around the center of the table, and one woman watched on with interest. All of them radiated a power that made Max uncomfortable.

With a sudden realization, Max noticed that he never saw the small group come inside the restaurant in the first place.

"Brother. You and I both know that a happy wife equals a happy life... And an unhappy wife equals stone cold misery for the rest of your immortal days... Trust me, I've had those experiences with Amphitrite," retorted a guy who was wearing a loud Hawaiian shirt.

"Don't you think we should be talking about our problem?" interrupted a dude dressed in nothing but black clothing. "Zeus, Poseidon. If you hadn't noticed, I think our pressing issue is resolving this upcoming conflict. If we can't keep this contained, this could basically be a reenactment of the Giant War: Take Three."

The guy in the Hawaiian shirt shrugged. "Honestly, I don't think it's all that bad. It could be worse, anyway."

"Both of you, listen to your brother!" chided the woman, leaning forward. "It matters not. Who knows? Deadly or not, this situation could escalate into another war, if we are not careful."

"But MOMMM..." whined the guy in the Hawaiian shirt.

At that, Max had to do a double take. There was no way that the woman was that guy's father! She looked _way_ too young, with her hair cascaded in curls. Unless she got pregnant at a really young age, Max had his doubts.

"Now, now. Mother Rhea, perhaps you are right. I've had my fill of wars for the time being, and even though I could defeat everything, it's the principle of the thing." butted in the guy wearing the pinstripe suit.

Right then, Max could have sworn that he heard the guy in the Hawaiian shirt mutter something like_ vlacas_ under his breath.

"You're such a mama's boy, aren't you?" grumbled the black-clothed dude, crossing his arms.

"Hey! I merely state the facts!" roared the pinstripe-suit guy, pointing an accusing finger at the black-clothed dude.

Right then, Max felt the air around him crackle, making his neck hairs stand up. Several surrounding diners raised their heads, seemingly confused by the sudden change of the air. To Max, it seemed like electricity was literally buzzing around his neck, making him uncomfortable.

"My children... I love you all _equally_, and don't forget that, okay?" Rhea coaxed, trying to calm down the warring duo.

Max assumed that the woman was Rhea, since the man in the pinstripe suit called her that.

"Yeah, well, if you loved all of us equally, then why did you let Dad swallow all of us, except Zeus here?" questioned the Hawaiian shirt guy, gesturing to the pinstripe dude, who was now Zeus.

"Aw, well... I was... A little distraught at the time. Don't take the blame on me! Do you have any idea how hard it is to work your way around a husband who insists on eating every one of the children you birth?!" exclaimed Rhea, throwing her hands into the air.

Max nearly gagged onto the floor at that mention. He was pretty sure that Rhea's family must be mentally disturbed if her husband resorted to cannibalism. Calling the cops was definitely an option in Max's mind right now- he couldn't let this woman and her children suffer.

"Mother... Did you have to mention this again? Now look what you've done- you've made Poseidon sick!" growled the creepy emo guy, pointing at the dude in the Hawaiian shirt, who was starting to look green.

"Hush, now. Your father is gone, so rest aside." cooed Rhea, rubbing her hand on Poseidon's back. The weird Hawaiian guy seemed to relax at the touch, sighing in contentedness.

Out of all the conversations he had ever listened to, Max had to admit that this specific one ranked at the very top of his list of creepiest conversations ever. Apparently, Rhea seemed to be the mother of those three dudes, who were named Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. For some reason, Max knew that those big three names were very familiar... Eh, it was probably in a book somewhere.

"What about me? I got the worst of Father's stomach acid!" Hades groaned, clutching a hand over his belly.

"Oh... Um, I think that was because of the mixture I gave Father... He didn't take too kindly to it. Did that really hurt, by the way?" Zeus mused, stroking his closely-shaven beard.

"You're asking me if stomach acid hurts? I watch over the Fields of Punishment! Of COURSE I knew that sizzling acid would hurt!" Hades roared, bolting out of his seat.

Max's hand instinctively reached for his pager, in case the situation got ugly. And most of all- those people were weirding him out. What the heck were the Fields of Punishment? And why would someone's father dunk him in boiling stomach acid?

Several diners shot Hades a dark look, which made him sit back down with a melancholy look on his face.

"Hades! What did I tell you about tableside manners? Do you want to be grounded again?" Rhea scolded, reducing her voice into a frequency so low that Max had trouble hearing it.

"Oh... BURN!" hooted Poseidon, as Zeus shot Hades a smiling look of satisfaction.

Max had to feel a twinge of disgust at the whole exchange. Didn't that Zeus guy have any love for his brothers? Poseidon didn't seem to have a ounce of feelings for his brothers either. Unless those brothers had been living for thousands of years, which could have watered down their emotions, Max couldn't think of any other good excuse.

"M-mother..." hissed Hades, as his tone changed into something that made Max's musings turn into fear.

"No buts! Sit down, and finish your dinner! Zeus, Poseidon, don't you dare think you're off the hook either!" Rhea shot back, as the other two brothers' face suddenly resembled two deer caught in headlights.

Max had to admire Rhea's discipline. If the woman could rein in three warring brothers, then she could probably do anything. In fact, the woman reminded Max of his own mother, who had the problem of raising him alongside four other siblings.

"Mother, can you just lay off, for once?" Poseidon groaned.

"Maybe I would lay off, if you three didn't keep fighting! Seriously, I raised you better than this!" Rhea growled.

"Then maybe you should have been around! What mother leaves their kids to rot inside the belly of their father, and only rescues one kid?! Do you even care about us?!" Hades roared, shooting a glance at his mother.

Rhea shot Hades a look of hurt. "That's low, even for you, Hades..."

Max had to admit that it was a low blow. Even though the whole situation was creepy to think about, Max knew that if Rhea really tried, then she hadn't failed as a mother. Heck, Max knew what it was like, having a mother who tried her hardest. Even though Lilliana Carbilun didn't make the most money, Max knew that she did her best to provide for him and his brothers and sisters.

"Mother... I-" Hades began, as Rhea sighed and brought her head to rest on top of the table.

Max's heart nearly burst at that point. Ever since his own mother died three years ago, he found himself missing every single moment of his mother's love. Lilliana provided everything for him. She made sure that he had a sheltered, safe life. She paid for college, and made Max feel like he could be safely secure everywhere.

Rhea's sobs reached Max's ears, as he shuffled uncomfortably. How much longer was Ricardio taking with that _pina colada_, anyway?

In Max's vision, the three brothers shuffled with regret- almost as if they were having an intense telepathic discussion. Poseidon was the first one to break out of the muted silence, and patted his mother's back reassuringly.

Poseidon sighed. "I love you... Mother."

"As... Do... I..." Hades stuttered, wrapping an arm around his mother.

"Aw, what the heck. I love you too..." Zeus grumbled, patting Rhea's left shoulder.

Max wasn't a sappy person, but his heart bled from the whole scene. Max swore that the whole gesture reminded him of some sort of movie that he couldn't put his finger on...

Rhea raised her head from the table, and put on a smile. "Thank you, my boys. Just remember this- I love you all."

**~~~~~0~0~~~~~**

"Max! Hey!" bellowed the voice of Ricardio, jarring Max out of his intense focus at the hugging group.

"What?" Max growled, narrowing his eyebrows. He was really enjoying this heartfelt make-up between Rhea and her sons.

"Your drink is ready... And sorry about that, dude! I was swamped up with other mixes!"

"So, you conveniently decided to put my order to the last of your list of priorities?" Max questioned, edging over to Ricardio.

"Whatever, man. It's done with, so you hurry it up!" Ricardio retorted, sliding the drink over the bar countertop.

With a roll of his eyes, Max caught the pina colada, and turned back toward the table where Rhea and her sons were sitting.

What Max saw next gave him a heart attack. Right in front of him, the table was empty. It was almost as if Rhea and her sons had vanished into thin air. Max's stunned expression was interrupted as he heard the _crack_ of a glass shattering the floor.

"Aw, come on!" Ricardio roared, as Max looked down. Below him, the shattered liquid of the _pina colada_ flowed across the floor.

Max chuckled nervously. "Um, I don't suppose you could make another one, quickly?"

"You owe me... And I'm telling Larson!" Ricardio growled, slamming a fist onto the bartop table.

Max groaned. He was SO getting a chewing-out tonight! At least it wasn't as bad as that conversation.

Max reminded himself to get himself checked out at the hospital later. There was no way all that stuff in that conversation could have possibly existed in real life!

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**Thought this would be a little interesting... Not many Big Three things out there!**


End file.
